Wild Wind
by Moon Flower3
Summary: This is NOT your normal YYH fic! Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke are the Makai rulers, and alot of Youkai want to over throw them. Fans of Jin, Touya, Shishiwakamaru, ect, this story is for you! **CHAPTER 13 UP**
1. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei

He walked towards the main gate, ignoring the whispering behind him. His long white hair swished around his face as he moved quickly. The Kitsune threw the main gate open and strolled out, his yellow eyes meeting all the people gathered outside. He was shocked, but hid it well. "KURAMA! GO HOME! GO TO THE NINGENKAI WHERE YOU BELONG!", one youkai in the crowd shouted. "LET YOMI COME BACK AND DO HIS JOB!", another snarled. Kurama shut his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Looks like they hate me", he thought. He opened his eyes and glanced around at all the youkai. "Move out. I have to meet with the other rulers." This caused even more of an uproar. "NINGEN LOVERS!!! DISGRACE!!! DISGRACE!!! MAY YOU ALL MEET UNTIMELY ENDS!!!". Kurama felt his stomach tighten with nerves, his lunch threatening to come back up. He forced down the wave of nasuea and glared icely around at everyone. "ALL OF YOU MOVE OUT NOW!! OR YOU'LL BE THE ONES MEETING WITH UNTIMELY ENDS!", he shouted at the top of his lungs. The youkai grumbled, but moved to let Kurama pass. The Kitsune glanced nervously back at the mob as he left to meet with the others.  
  
Yusuke sat with his eyes shut on his throne, thinking. "Lord Yusuke?". Yusuke opened his big brown eyes and smiled at his faithful servant, Enki. "Hmmm?", Yusuke murmured, as though being woken up. "When will your guests be arriving?", Enki inquired, stareing at the young Youkai Lord curiously. Sometimes he thought running things was a bit much for a 20-year-old to handle. "They should be here really shortly", Yusuke replied, standing up and walking listlessly to the window. "I'm sure everything will be allright". This time the voice was a woman's. Yusuke turned and faced the two beautiful women that had just walked in, one of them his wife, Keiko, the other Chuu's wife, Natsume. Natsume was the one who had offered the words of encouragement. Yusuke smiled at the two women. "Everything is ready for your guests.". Natsume turned and left Keiko alone with Yusuke, who embraced her warmly. As he pulled away, he noted how the signs of their first child were really showing in her belly. It wouldn't be long now. "How are you doing, Keiko?", he asked, placing his hand on her stomach. She smiled at him, love sparkling in her seripa eyes, and placed one of her slender hands on top of his. "I'm fine. Yusuke...I was thinking...if we have a boy we should name him Raizen...after your father.", she said. Yusuke felt one of his heart stings being pulled-she was the sweetest, most loving, most beautiful woman to ever live and he was lucky to have her in his opinion. "I think that's a wonderful name. What should we name her if it's a girl?", he asked. "Hmmm...I don't know...I'm almost sure we're gonna have a son". "Well, how about Raiko then? Sounds more feminine.". Keiko smiled. "I love it". "Lord Yusuke, sorry to bother you, but your guests are starting to arrive", Enki said. "Come on, let's greet them", Keiko said. And they walked to the door.  
  
Yusuke's first guest was Hiei, accompanied by his sister, Yukina, brother- in-law, Kazuma, and their baby son. "Aww, how cute!", Keiko squealed, hurrying over to Yukina and Kazuma as quickly as she could. She smiled down at the infant, who responded by raising one of his tiny fists. "He really looks like Kazuma", she commented. "Except he has your hair". The baby tugged on a handful of Keiko's long, brown hair. "No, no, Kuribayashi. Don't pull Aunt Keiko's hair.", Yukina said, freeing the hair from the baby's hand. "Kuribayashi...Cute name". "Mukuro-san came up with it", Yukina said. Kazuma nodded and out his arm around Yukina's shoulders. "When are you do, Keiko-Chan", he asked. Keiko smiled. "Sometime next week...if its not born early. I could have the child tonight if it decides its time". She looked excitedly at Yusuke as she spoke. "Wow. Now I'm really glad we came down. We practically had to beg and plead Oniisan to leave and come here". Yukina said. "Yeah. He gave in when we said Kurama was gonna be here.", Kazuma added. Hiei's cheeks went very red for someone with so little color in them. "Have you decided a name?". Yukina changed the subject, not wanting to see a fight break out between her husband and brother-again. "Yes. We're gonna name him Raizen if it's a boy, and Raiko if it's a girl", Keiko replied. "Hn. All this baby talk is making me sick", Hiei muttered. "Awww...Poor Hiei wants his Kurama", Yusuke sniggered. He suddenly found Hiei's sword about 5cm away from his face. "Eh...just kidding. Just kidding".  
  
Kurama arrived twenty minutes later looking nothing like the calm boy of eighteen they'd parted with three years earlier. And it had nothing to do with the fact he was a Kitsune again, either. He looked very angry and flustered as he entered the palace. "Sweet Kami, I hate all those freaks Yomi left me to rule. No wonder he took Shura and left. I would've done the same thing!". "They want to overthrow Yusuke and me", Hiei whispered. Kurama's face promptly softened as he noticed Hiei. "I'm sorry", he appologized. "It's OK. The question is since we all know what they want to do, how do we go about fixing it?", Hiei replied. "We'll figure that out as soon as Chuu, Rinku, and Sai get back with Shishiwakamaru, Touya, Jin, Suzuki, Aries, and Istas", Yusuke cut in. "Ok...Fill me in. Chuu and Rinku live here? With you? And who are Sai, Aries, and Istas?". Kazuma looked very confused. "Well, Chuu married Natsume not too long after the tournament. She grew up here, so he moved in here instead of making her leave. Personally, I think he loves living here. Sai is related to Shishiwakamaru, but she stays here since she's not too keen on traveling much...". "I can't have children", Natsume cut into Yusuke's explanation. "So Chuu and I have kind of adopted Sai and Rinku as our own kids". Yusuke nodded. "Aries and Istas are two girls they kind of picked up during their travels.". "It must be nice to live in the desert", Hiei commented out of nowhere. He was stretched out infront of one of the windows, enjoying all the sun sreaming in on him. "Gahh...it's so hot!", Kazuma complained pulling off his jacket. "Enki, please put the fans up higher", Yusuke requested. Hiei growled. He snatched up Kazuma's jacket and sulked by himself in the cornor. "Much better", Yukina said. "Hn", Hiei growled.  
  
An hour later nine very flushed, very sweaty people entered Yusuke's palace. Yusuke smiled at them as they walked in. "Good. Now everyone's here". His smile increased as he noticed everyone stareing at the three girls. "Let me introduce them to you", he said, guestering towards the three girls. One of them was talking about a mile a minute to Jin, who was very red in the face, another stood quietly with the group, waiting, and the third stood away from everyone else, glaring around coldly. He got the attention of the talking girl and said "This is Sai. If she were a human, she'd be about the same age as Kurama's little step-brother". Sai grinned around cheerfully at everyone. Her blue hair, which went down to her shoulder blades, was roughly the same color as Shishiwakamaru's, and her eyes were bright green. "This is Aries.". Yusuke motioned to the girl who was standing around quietly. "She's around our own ages". Aries had blond hair down to her shoulders and blue eyes. "And Miss. Sociable over there is Istas. She's a bit older then Sai, so she'd probably be around 18 or 19 if she were human". Yusuke pointed out the girl practically glaring at everyone. She had ice blue hair down to her chin and slity eyes that matched her hair color. "It's a pleasure to meet you all", Sai said politely. "Yes. I hope everything works out", Aries added. "Hn", Istas muttered, inching further away from everyone else. "Ummm...well...now that we're all aquainted, how about we get some food, and then we can get serious", Yusuke suggested.  
  
The food was delicious. Natsume was a great cook, and Raizen's-now Yusuke's- territory was known for its exotic spices. Those who didn't live in Yusuke's palace, or eat there on a regular basis, found the dinner unbelieveable, and those who did enjoy dinner there every night found the food even better then normal. "Great work, Natsume! I'm impressed! Keep in mind Papa never ate any of this stuff", Yusuke said as he passed a bottle of red wine around. "He was a good man! A good man!", Chuu roared, raising his glass in a toast to Raizen. Everyone else rose their glasses, too, whether they were drinking the wine or another beverage. "Papa, please try not to drink too much", Sai said. "I can't over-drink. I don't get drunk!", Chuu boasted proudly. "Yeah, you only-". Rinku cut himself off. "Nevermind. Don't want to disgust the dinner guests". The child happily took another sip of his drink. "How come your father never ate?", Kazuma asked, putting his silverware down. "He fell in love with a Ningen woman a long time ago...Papa was the kind of demon that needed to eat human flesh to survive". Yusuke shivered at the thought. "After he fell in love and she died, he vowed never to eat anything that reminded him of humans again- including food humans might enjoy. So he lived for almost a thousand years off of spices and Makai wine before a combination of starvation, nerves, and old age finally got him". Keiko hung her head and put her hand on her belly. Everyone's eyes turned to her. She looked up and smiled, though tears misted her eyes. "I'm Ok. It's not time yet", she said. "Well, if everyone's finished, I guess we can go into talking about what we're gonna do about this present problem", Yusuke said, noting that everyone was pushing his or her plates away from themselves.  
  
"....So, to make a long story short, because we don't have a lot of time, we're gonna have to leave the Makai for a while. Those of you who wish to come with us can come, and those that wish to stay here may help the others look over our kingdoms-". "Wait a minute, Urameshi. What do you mean "those that wish to stay here? I think we're all in agreement that we're gonna go with you.", Kazuma said. Yusuke looked around at the furiously nodding group. "Well...I guess there's nothing left to discuss. Enki's arranging for our portal to be opened. We'll all cross through it tommarrow morning and lie low in the Ningenkai for a while. I don't want to fight, since Papa was pacifist, but if that's what it comes down to, I'm not gonna back down." Yusuke said. He headed up to bed with Keiko, leaving the rest of them with those words. Istas felt an icy wave wash through her-somehow she knew it would come to fighting 


	2. The Reunion With Old Friends

A/N: Wow! Two reviews allready! I feel so special! ^_^ LOL. I seriously hope you all enjoy this. I know my writing's a bit fast-paced, and I sincerly hope it doesn't bother anyone, but I like for things to move along quickly and be high-action. Oh, and Black Dragon, don't worry, I won't pair Hiei with anyone. Please put the tatoo away. Also please keep the reviews coming. The only thing resembling payment I get for writing this is apple pie from my friends, so reviews are greatly appreciated. ^_^  
  
Yusuke woke everyone up bright and early the next morning. Sai groaned loudly and pulled her sheet over her head, refusing to get up. Yusuke laughed, reminded of Kido when Genkai had woken everyone up so long ago to split up and search the Musiyouri town. His laughter changed to grief, however, as he remembered Kido lying unconscious on the floor, blood spurting from his wrist. He hadn't beaten the doctor in time to save him. Then he thought of Genaki-he missed that old lady dearly. She'd been like a grandmother to him. "At least she'd die happy", Yusuke mussed. "Urameshi- san?", Istas asked, walking into the room and breaking his chain of thought. "What's going on?". "I can't get her to wake up", Yusuke replied. "Let me handle this", Istas said, shooing Yusuke out of the room. "OIIIIIIII!!!!! BAKA!!!!!! WAAAAAAAKKKKKEEE UPPP!", she shouted directly into her friend's ear. Sai turned over and pulled her pillow over her head. Istas smirked evilly. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. Then she went down into the kitchen and retrieved as many ice cubes as she could. "You get her up yet?", Yusuke asked, blinking at the ice demoness carrying enough ice to drop the tempurature in a swimming pool. "Nope". Istas walked back into the bathroom and dumped the ice in the tub. Then she went over to Sai and lifted the slight smaller girl. Istas carried her, blankets and all, to the tub and unceremoniously tossed her in. The scream that followed was deafening.  
  
Fifteen heads turned towards the blood-curdleing shouting. A few seconds later Istas was darting out, followed closely by a dripping wet Sai, who'd slipped part way back into her demon form. She was swinging her sword at Istas's head. "Hey Now! No killing allowed!", Shishiwakamaru called. Suzuki rolled his eyes, but felt best to keep his mouth shut. Aries, however, had not learned the concept of keeping thine tounge in check, and said "ShiShi, you're the last person to say "no killing", Mr. Flareing Temper", she said. Before another fight could break out, Kazuma cut in. He pointed out poor, sweet Keiko and said "We don't need to give her a heart attack when she's so close to delivery.". Everyone calmed down and watched Hiei and Touya argue over what a good tempurature for the house would be. "You know, we should really see how Kaito and Yanagisawa are doing", Yusuke commented. "Yeah, and check up on Mitari and Hagiri, see if they finished highschool, all that fun stuff.", Kazuma said. Then he paused and added "Crap, I've forgotten how young Mitari is! He'd still be in highschool, wouldn't he?". "He'd be in his last year.", Kurama said, stareing at the floor. Yusuke looked at him. "Aren't you going to see your Okaasan and Shuu-Kun?", he asked. "I can't. I won't put them in any more danger.", Kurama replied. "I'll visit Kaito and Yanagisawa, but I won't risk any more harm coming to Okaasan or Shuu-Kun", "It's ready!", Enki cried, rushing in, breathless. "Lord Yusuke, the GateWay's open! Your group must go now.". Yusuke grabbed Keiko's hand. "Ok, people! Let's go now!", he called.  
  
5 Days Later...  
  
"Are you sure you're going to be OK?", Yusuke asked Keiko nervously. "I don't want to leave you alone". Keiko kissed Yusuke's cheek. "I'm fine", she assured him. "I'm not alone, Natsume's coming over with Sai. We'll call you if anything happens.". "You sure?", Yusuke asked. "Yes, I'm sure. Now go before you're late!", Keiko said, practically shoving Yusuke to the door. "Call me!!!", Yusuke shouted as he climbed into the car. By the time Yusuke got to the train station, his friends were allready there. "Urameshi- san!", a young man with curly black hair called. Yusuke grinned broadly at him. "Kaito. How are you? Where's Yanagisawa?". "Ah, Yano went to get some drinks. He'll be around soon", Kaito replied. Kurama and Hiei got off the bench and walked over. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?", Kurama asked. "Three years.", Kaito replied, looking at the ground. "So, what have you and Yanagi doing?", Yusuke asked tentatively. "We're both in college to be lawyers. We're gonna open up a firm called "Mitsunari and Yuu" when we get out of law school.". Yusuke laughed-not because of Kaito being a lawyer, but because he'd never imagined Yanagisawa as the "lawyer" type. "URAMESHI- SAN!!! MINAMINO-SAN!!!!!! JAGANSHI-SAN!!!", a loud, cheerful-sounding voice cried out. Yanagisawa Mitsunari was running up to the rest of the group, carrying five cans of soda. He passed around the sodas and grinned. "Yano! How are you?", Yusuke said happily. "Good, good. As good as I've ever been." He paused, looked at the floor, and then continued: "I think...", he said slowly, his voice breaking. "I think...we should go visit the cemetary 1st...Kido gave his life...to save ours...". Yusuke put his hand on Yanagisawa's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're going to go there now.". Hiei gave Kurama a confused look, and Kurama smiled sympathetically. "Deal with it", he mouthed. The fire demon crossed his arms, not understanding why they were upsetting themselves over a death three years ago. "Hiei, Kurama! Come on!", Kaito called. "Come", Kurama said, grabbing Hiei's wrist. "Let's go". They hurried to join the other three.  
  
The Cemetary was a cold, gloomy place that immediately dampened the spirts of everyone. Even Hiei found himself chilled by the dreary sceanery and cool gray tombstones. "Where's Kido's grave?", Yusuke whispered, hugging the roses he'd bought to his body as he looked around. Yanagisawa gripped his own boquet of yellow roses tightly and said "Follow me". He led them towards the back of cemetary. There on a grey slab was scriped the name "Kido Asato" and his dates of birth and death. Just sixteen years space between the first date and the second. Yusuke, Kaito, Yanagisawa, and Kurama all placed boquets of yellow roses on his grave. Hiei kind of stood in the back and watched his friends pay respect to Kido. He, of course, would not be seen kneeling infront of a dead boy's grave, crying, like a human weakling. Plus, he hadn't really known him, and had no reason to cry. Yusuke, Kaito, and Yanagisawa were crying. Kurama was not, but he had his head bowed, and his eyes glittered with the start of them. The kitsune stood up and strode over to Hiei. "Can we go yet?", Hiei asked. "All this sadness is making me uncomfortable". "Let them calm down a little.", Kurama whispered, motioning to the other three guys. "What are we gonna do next?", Hiei whispered. He was growing very bored with all of this. "We'll get you some sweet snow". Hiei immediately brightened at the promise of sweet snow.  
  
Hiei was very happy with his sweet snow. He abandoned his usual no- nonsense manor and was bouncing around cheerfully. "It's like alcohol for him", Yusuke mussed, watching him. Kurama laughed. "Hiei with any kind of sweets gets dangerous", he said. "So, whatever happened with you guys' powers?", Yusuke asked. He wondered if the kids-most of them no longer kids- kept their powers, or if the powers were lost with the defeat of Sensui. "They're gone. That Dark Magic Portal was what gave us the powers to begin with. Each day, Kaito and I wake up, praying they won't come back. For them to come back would be a very bad thing", Yanagisawa said softly. Kaito nodded. "It would mean someone was trying to reopen the Black Magic Portal...". The black-haired young man pushed his glasses up and looked around at Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. "So, care to tell us why you three are back? And why Minamino-san....yeah". "We're hiding.", Yusuke whispered so only Kaito and Yanagisawa could hear him. "Well, not really hiding, but we're laying low for a while. We're hated in the Makai...". Yusuke trailed off as his cellphone gave a loud ring. "Yusuke speaking", he answered. "Yusuke", Natsume's voice said tearfully over the other end of the phone. "It's Keiko...she's been kidnapped". Yusuke felt his heart plummet. "Keiko's been kidnapped!?", he cried. About fifty heads turned to stare at their table. "Y-yes", Natsume sniffed. "Youkai from Yomi's territory...You have to hurry, I don't know what they're gonna do with her...". Yusuke's insides turned to ice. "Are you and Sai allright?", he asked. "We're fine.". "Ok. Hang on.We'll be right there", Yusuke said, trying to be reasonably calm. 


	3. Hot on the Trail

A/N: Well, I have decided to write with shorter paragraphs...Hope it's easier to read. ^_^ Ok, incase anyone is confused (I confuse myself. LOL), this takes place three years after the end off YYH. I'm not sure how old everyone really was, but I'm gonna say Yusuke, Kazuma, Hagiri, Yanagi, and Kaito were 17. Mitari was 14. Little Shuuichi was 13. ^_^ Hope that clears up any confusion you may have. Enjoy! And thanks to those who reviewed. ^_^  
  
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They split into two groups-Yusuke, Kaito, and Yanagisawa went to help Natsume and Sai, and Kurama and Hiei decided to check the town and make sure there weren't Youkai walking around in the streets. Our favorite Kitsune and Fire Youkai walked slowly through the whole town, scoping for Youkai. Kurama walked in front, and Hiei followed a few steps behind, incase Kurama missed something suspicious. "You seem nervous", Hiei said, noticing Kurama's unusually tense expression. "Well...My Kaasan and step- Tousan and Shuuichi live in this town", Kurama explained. "If there are Youkai here, I don't want any of the to get hurt". "Kurama...", Hiei started. "I don't know if you realized this, but Yomi's Youkai probably KNOW about your Ningen family".  
  
"I know it, Hiei...And I don't want them used to get to me. So I have to protect them from the dis...tance....Hiei, come here...", Kurama trailed off. "Hn?". Hiei crossed over to the Kitsune's side and looked around for what he was stareing at. They were young, the two guys. One of them had wavy blond hair, but it was the other one, the one with the straight, light- brown hair, that Hiei immediately knew Kurama was stareing at. "Your brother?", Hiei asked. "Yeah. And I think he's talking with Mitari". Hiei glanced at the boys again. The blonde did look alot like Mitari, now that Kurama had mentioned it. "Let's follow them", Kurama whispered. He and Hiei tailed after Shuuichi and the kid that was possibly Mitari.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ MEANWHILE....  
  
Yusuke, Kaito, and Yanagisawa arrived at Yusuke's house in record time. Natsumi had lied when she said she and Sai were OK-the men arrived to find Natsume bleeding and cut up and Sai knocked out cold. "Yusuke!", Natsume shrieked. "Why'd you come here? You have to find Keiko!". "I couldn't without being sure you two are allright! Where's Chuu? We need to get him here...". "No. He's gone with Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Touya, and Jin to search for her." Natsumi's green eyes filled with tears. "Go! Stop wasting time here!", she cried. "Did they give you any idea on where they took her?", Kaito asked in a calm, rational voice.  
  
Yusuke was thankful he was here. It sort of kept him from fully flipping out. Sai moaned and sat up, rubbing the sides of her head. "That was very rude of them", she muttered. "You OK, girl?", Yanagisawa asked, helping Sai to her feet. "I'm fine...I'm trying to locate Keiko-San", she whispered. "Eh!? You can do such a thing!?", Yusuke cried incredulously. "If you'll be quiet, I'll see if I can find her...". Yusuke nodded and thought: "Please find her location, Sai... Keiko... please....please be OK".  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ELSEWHERE STILL:  
  
"Come on, Keiko-Chan. Where are you?", Chuu whispered, his usually cheerful face shot with nerves. "JIN! ANY SIGN OF HER??", Touya called. Jin, who was flying, called down "None yet!". Rinku, as the smallest, was skulling the ground for any signs of Keiko-a scrap from her skirt, a hair, anything that would give them a hint they were going in the right direction. So far, they were turning up with nothing. Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki were walking slightly behind everyone, listening for sounds that seemed suspicious. They had no luck either, so far. "I don't know where they would have taken her, but I sincerly hope she's still in the Ningenkai", Rinku whispered. They'd never seen the child so solom, it was rather discourageing. Then there was a ray of hope. "GUYS!! I THINK I'VE FOUND SOMETHING!", Rinku called.  
  
The child held up what looked like a a scrap of pink cloth from the vest Keiko'd been wearing. "ALLRIGHT! GOOD JOB, RINKU!", Jin cried, coming down from the skies to examine the piece of cloth. "At least we know we're going in the right direction", Chuu said, a relieved smile on his face.Together they searched for more indications of Keiko. "Blood! Human blood!", Shishiwakamaru pointed out. Splatters of the thick red substance stained the dark soil. "Look over there!", Suzuki cried. Half-buried in thick brush was a woman's shoe. Keiko's shoe? Touya hurried foward and pulled the shoe out. "I think we're going in the right direction for sure", he said. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ YUP...STILL ELSEWHERE....  
  
She was cold...so very cold. Yet her body burned as though she had a fever. Inside her, she could feel her child trying to force his or her way out into the world. With a cry, she sank to the ground. "No, please, stay inside a little longer. It's not safe!", Keiko whispered to the child-her and Yusuke's son or daughter. A particularly nasty-looking Youkai lifted her up gently and carried her for a distance. "You may be a Ningen, but your child isn't", he said. "Hey, Yoda! Let's go! Bring that filthy over here!", a second Youkai called. "Put her right there. This is where we'll wait for that snake, Urameshi Yusuke and his traitorous friends.". "Right", Yoda called, carrying Keiko to his friend. "Yusuke...please hurry...our child...wants to join us now!", Keiko thought desprately. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ BACK WITH YUSUKE AND CO...  
  
"I've located her!", Sai called. "She's deep within the forest...so very deep. I can't describe the place very well, but I can lead you to it!". "Will you please?", Yusuke asked excitedly. "Yes. We have to hurry! She's in big trouble...about to give birth!", Sai cried. "Kaito! Yano! Stay with Natsume! Sai, let's go!". Sai grabbed Yusuke's wrist and started to pull him out the door. They ran until neither of them could run any more and had to resort to walking at a quick pace. "Keiko-san!", Sai cried. She clutched her stomach and doubled over. "Ahhh...the pain!". Tears streamed from her eyes. "Sai!?", Yusuke cried breathlessly. The girl continued to wimper. Yusuke reached out and touched her shoulder. Sai screamed and lept up as though he'd set fire to her. Yusuke grabbed the girl and held her firmly. "What is it?". She blinked for a minute as though not sure where she was. "It-Time's running out, Urameshi-san!". With a sudden burst of energy, the girl raced into the woods, Yusuke racing after her.  
  
A/N: Well, that's it for now. Hope it was enjoyed. ^_^ Sorry it's rather short, I'll make up for it next chapter. I promise. Please review if you haven't, and thanks again to those who have. I love you all! ^_^ 


	4. Youkai and Ningens

A/N: *Has the warm fuzzy feeling inside* Awww...I feel so loved. :) People actually enjoy reading my story. I'm also going to try writing chapters that are a bit lengthier. I know I took forever to get the past chapter up, and I appologize. I will try not to let more than a week go by w/o an update from now on, so rest assured. I will not let you down. ^_____^ So it is with great pleasure that I present chapter 4! Enjoy! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sai! Are we almost there!?", Yusuke cried. They'd been walking for what felt like forever. He got no answer. "SAI", he called. Yusuke sighed. Sai shivered as she pressed on. She couldn't hear Yusuke. She couldn't hear anything at all except for what was going on in her mind. She heard, in her mind, Keiko's cries of pain as she forced the child inside her to stay inside, and she could feel Keiko's overwhelming physical and emotional pain. The young woman was dead terrified. She wanted Yusuke. She didn't want to give birth to their child alone. With a cry, she burst foward in a sudden rush of energy. Yusuke screamed the girl's name and charged after her as fast as he could, praying he wouldn't loose track of her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Keiko was in pain...Loads of pain. She was also more scared than she'd ever been in her whole life. What was going to happen to her? "Yusuke, please...if you're looking for me, please, hurry." She curled up on the floor and hugged her belly. Yoda looked at her, his face emotionless. "Seems that she's in distress.". His friend shrugged his shoulders. "Since when have you worried about a Ningen?", he asked. "You'd better not be going soft.". "N-no...", Yoda stammered, stareing at Keiko. "It's just...isn't it cruel to keep her here like this? Even if she is Ningen?". "That's the way of the Makai, Yoda. Surely you know that.". Yoda just stared at his feet. He remembered Yomi, and he knew this wasn't quite what he would have called a good plan. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I can't walk anymore!", Rinku complained, throwing himself on the boiling ground. "We have been walking a long time", Shishiwakamaru said, looking sympathically at the child. "Hours", Suzuki added, looking at his watch. Chuu walked over and lifted the exhausted child into his arms. "Are we just gonna give up? Just like this?". "Chuu...we haven't found any new clues in four hours...we may very well be walking a circle...Touya's overheating, he was not ment for this kind of weather...I mean, I don't want to give up, but we have to be practical here. Us getting sick from this isn't going to help Keiko-san.", Jin said.  
  
"I owe Urameshi-san...he showed me what it is to have compassion. I will press on if it kills me. You can head back if you want, take Rinku with you, but I will keep looking!". "No. I'm staying with you", Rinku said firmly. Jin, Touya, Shishiwakamaru, and Suzuki all exchanged looks. "Allright, allright. We'll search a little longer.", Shishiwakamaru said. They started off again, praying there was even the faintest glimmer of hope that Keiko was alive. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure we have everything?", Istas asked curiously. She and Aries had been shopping for hours now, and she didn't want to forget anything. "I'm sure", Aries replied, checking the mile-long list. The two girls worked together to pile all the stuff into the Urameshis' van and climbed in. "Well, that didn't take too long", Aries commented cheerfully. "Only five hours", Istas said, looking at her watch. Aries laughed as she pulled out of the mall parking lot. "We would've been out sooner if you hadn't spent an hour in the food court eating that snow-like substance!"  
  
They arrived back at the Urameshis' house to find a strange sight. Two young men they had never seen before were sitting at the table with Natsumi. Keiko herself and Sai were no where to be found. "What in the world happened here!?", Aries cried, almost completely loosing her head. Istas, however, was much calmer about the whole situation. "Who were they, and where did they take Keiko and Sai?". Natsume shook her head.  
  
" "They" where two of Yomi's faithful followers, but they only took Keiko. I have no idea where they took her. Urameshi-san and Sai went to look...". She trailed off as Istas and Aries ran out the door. "We're just loosing everyone", Yanagisawa commented lightly. "Good. The more searching, the sooner they'll find her", Kaito said. Natsume looked off where the girls had just disappeared from. "Good luck...please, be safe". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"That girl! I can't believe I lost her!", Yusuke cried, treking through the woods now by himself. What was he going to do now? Without Sai, he had no idea where he was going and wasn't sure he was going the right way to find Keiko anymore. He heard voices nearby, suddenly, and a ray of hope hit him. Those were Jin and Touya's voices! "JIN!! TOUYA!!", he cried. "URAMESHI-SAN!", Jin's voice called back.  
  
A few seconds later, Yusuke was re-united not only with Jin and Touya, but with Chuu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, and Suzuki, too. "You all heard?", Yusuke asked. "Yeah.", Chuu answered grimly. "Natsume told all of us." "I was with Sai", Yusuke said. "But she ran off and I have no idea where I am going". "Well, let's keep walking. We're not gonna get anywhere talking", Touya said, wiping sweat off his face. They'd walked no more than five steps when a sharp scream filled the air.  
  
"Do not worry, Keiko-San", Sai said. "Urameshi-san should be here soon". She had her Katana pointed at the other youkai, having all ready killed one. "You're gonna wish you'd never been born". Her green eyes glowed with a feverish compassion. "You who can so calmly hurt others, until their blood flows, I shall bury you tonight.". Keiko screamed again and covered her eyes. She'd allready seen the girl who had always seemed too sweet and so innocent murder one youkai-she didn't want to see the other killed, too. The youkai laughed and pulled out his own Katana. "Allright, girl! Let's see what you're made of!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, I think we're done here.", Hiei commented. "No signs of any youkai, and your brother and Mitari have been safely seen into your old house.". Kurama stared at his feet. "I really wish I could see Shuu again...but if my seeing him is gonna cause him harm, I will stay away". Hiei, usually so practical, was at a loss for words. "Hiei...", Kurama whispered. "Ningens and Youkai...is there really a difference?". "What?", Hiei asked, confused now.  
  
"When we are sad...we all fall apart. When we are hurt, we all bleed...so...what does it really mean, then, to be a Ningen...or a Youkai...What's the real difference?". "Kurama...remember what I told you that time when you were haunted by the false Kuronue?". "Yes...You said "I do not know of a person who doesn't carry scars on the heart. To meet such a person would mean he is very shallow indeed". Hiei...what does that have to do with anything?".  
  
"Most Youkai, Kurama, are these shallow beings...who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Who will do anything to and harm anyone to be right. You and I have great potential of becoming Ningen, that's what it means to be a "Class A Youkai". It's the same bit with Chuu, with Rinku, with Shishiwakamaru, Touya, Jin, and the girls. Alot of youkai call us weak because of this...but I think it's what makes us so strong.".  
  
"Hiei...". Kurama slowly pulled a vile from his pocket and took a swig. Where there once stood a tall Youko now stood his smaller, redheaded, green-eyed counterpart. "If that is the case, I do not want a Youkai body any longer. Come on, let's go find Yusuke and everyone.". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I'm gonna end this here...No, do not throw that rotten trout at me! I promise the next chapter will be up soon! LOL. I'm allready working on it. ^_^ Well, please review if you didn't allready. Your reviews are what makes me continue writing. If I stop getting reviews, I may not finish the story... 


	5. Protective Messures

A/N: Yay! I'm on a roll now! And I have those of you who reviewed to thank for that! *Gives everyone who reviewed her story a dozen red roses.* So...what IS the difference between a Ningen and a Youkai? Oohh...too late! Time's up. LOL. Anyhow, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, hopefully they're getting better as the story goes on. Enjoy ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sai and the youkai, Yoda, faced off with one another, Katanas raised. "You got lucky the 1st round, girl. You won't get lucky again!", Yoda cried, gasping. He had blood pouring down his arm and side. "Enough talk", Sai snapped. "Quit stalling!". "Very well. As you wish. Say goodnight, girl!". With a cry, Yoda rushed at the teenager.  
  
Sai jumped back, but not before she suffered a deep gash across her stomach and one on her wrist from where she'd tried to block. She was amazed at how quickly her blood poured out, especially from the cut on her wrist. Yoda laughed at her. "Come on, girl. You're not done yet, are you?". Sai struggled to get at him again, lost her footing, and fell face downwards on the ground, her katana lying a few feet away.  
  
Yusuke and the group arived to find Sai bleeding on the floor, and Keiko curled up, crying, under a tree. A dead youkai lay not too far from Keiko. There was no sign of anyone else. Touya ran to Sai and lifted her up. She looked up at him weakly. "I'm...sorry...", she appologized. Touya slid off his outer shirt and pressed it against her wounded stomach. "Don't be.". Yusuke, who had Keiko in his arms, said "Come on, we'd better get out of here. I don't know how much longer she can hold on for.". They raced out of the woods as fast as they could. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sai? Hey, you allright there, kiddo?", Yusuke asked, peering down at the bird youkai's pale face. "Urameshi-san?". "You've been out for three days, girl. Do you feel better?". Sai tried to sit up, but a sharp pain stopped her. "Did Keiko-san...". A grin broke out on Yusuke's face. "She did. She had a boy. His name is Raizen.".  
  
Keiko came in just then, holding the baby. He had a shock of dark brown hair on his head and big blue-green eyes. "I still don't understand how two people with brown eyes had a blue-eyed child", Yusuke said. Keiko laughed. "You also never payed attention in school. If you did, you'd know all babies are born with blue eyes."  
  
"Yusuke?", Kurama whispered softly, peeking his head into the room. Yusuke looked up at his friend, and Sai blinked. "Who's he?", she asked. "That's Kurama in his Ningen form", Yusuke explained to her. "What's wrong?". "Can I see you for a moment?". Yusuke sensed fear in Kurama's voice. He stepped past his wife and son and crossed out of Sai's room. "What's the matter, Kurama?", he asked. Kurama held up what looked to be a letter. Fearing someone else had been kidnapped, Yusuke snatched the letter from the redhead's hands. However, it was worse...much, much worse.  
  
The letter read: Traitorous Cowards: We know where you're hiding! If you don't accept your fates we will seek out all those you hold precious to you and kill them one by one. You have been warned!.  
  
Yusuke felt himself go numb. They couldn't stop hiding, but he suddenly became worried for his mother and Keiko's parents. Hiei had Yukina and Kuwabarra to worry about, Kuwabarra had to worry about his sister, and Kurama...Yusuke gazed over at his redheaded friend. "This is what you were afraid was gonna happen, right?", he asked. Kurama mearly nodded. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
ONE WEEK LATER....  
  
Why do I have to go to Ningen school?", Sai complained. "Because you're gonna be Shuichi Hakataka's (A/N: Is this his last name? I get confused easily. ^^) body guard. You're to make sure nothing happens to him and if something does happen, you're to let Kurama know right away", Chuu said. She pulled at the pink skirt she was wearing and growled at it. "I hate pink!", she cried. "Imagine being a guy and having to wear a pink uniform", Kurama said, smiling. "Now go, or you're going to be late."  
  
"I owe you one, Kaito-san", Sai said, walking into her 1st period class. He had hacked into the computer data base and rigged it so she had every class together with Shuichi. She scanned around for the boy and soon spotted him, talking cheerfully with a boy with blond hair and a girl with very long, silver hair. She seated herself a few chairs away from the three and watched them intently. She had to smile as she realized how bright and happy Kurama's little brother seemed. The teacher came into the room then, and told the kids to gather at tables. "No more than four in a group, please.".  
  
Sai watched Shuichi and his two friends walk over to the table and sit down. No one joined them, so she walked over and said "Can I join you?". Shuichi smiled up at her, a bright light dancing in his brown eyes. "Sure thing." "EW!", the girl suddenly screamed. Sai blinked and realized a large dead rat had just been put infront of them. "We're dissecting rats today?!", Sai cried. "Yeah...I feel sorry for you, entering this class and having to do this right away", the blond boy said. "Shuu...You want the honors?". Shuichi pulled a disgusted face as he picked up the sissors. "If no one else is gonna do it...".  
  
Sai walked home with the group that afternoon to see Shuichi safely into his house. She was aware of Mitari, the blond boy, and the girl, Aya, chatting happily, but didn't want to join in the conversation. When they arrived at the Hakatakas' house, Shuichi offered everyone inside. Aya and Mitari agreed, but Sai said she had to go home and left as soon as the three were safely inside the house.  
  
A/N: Well, that's all for now folks! :D Enjoy! 


	6. The Black Magic Portal

A/N: I have no new reviews yet...*Sigh* I feel so dejected. :P Is my story loosing interest allready? I update regularly enough, I think. Look, three chapters added in two days...*Turns all chibi Inu like Tsuzuki in YnoM would.* Review? Pweese? *Gives everyone big puppy dog eyes.* If I get to chapter 10 and get no more reviews, I'm only gonna send the rest of the story to my friends and people who personally ask me for the chapters. I'm working on chapter 7 now, so please, review! Arigato! :D ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I have been skulling those kids for a week and a half and nothing besides Shuu tripping while playing baseball has happened.", Sai said as she redied herself for school one day. "Aries and I have gone out every day and searched for youkai hanging around and have found none.", Istas added. "They may be bluffing", Kurama said slowly. "However, that is unlikely and we don't want to take chances, now do we?".  
  
"No. They're such bright, happy kids, the three of them", Sai said. "Kids?", Kurama raised his eyebrow. He did not know Sai looked at his little brother as a "kid". "I feel like I'm babysitting sometimes", Sai admitted. "I mean, they're what? Sixteen? Mitari's seventeen? They're children compared to me, even I look the same age as them.". Istas laughed. "You know you enjoy it. You come back every day smiling.". "Actually, I do", Sai admitted. "Truthfully, I do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sai slipped into the classroom right on time that day. This time, though, she walked right to the table Shuu, Mitari, and Aya were sitting around and seated herself with them. They greeted her with their usual cheerful hellos and bright smiles. "Uggh...I wonder what we're gonna be disecting now.", Aya muttered. Sai laughed and noticed she was wearing her hair down. "You want a scrunchie?", she asked. "I always have an extra and your hair's so long...don't want any organism blood in it.". Aya looked slightly sick as she accepted the hair tie. She's no sooner gotten her hair up then the teacher came in, wheeling in a cart with five very large parcels on it.  
  
"Today we're gonna examine the anatomy of a shark!", she cried as though it was the best thing she ever did with her class. Aya's allready colorless face went even whiter. Shuu's mouth fell open. Mitari looked like he was about to be sick. "It's a good thing this class only has twenty students. This kind of stuff gets expensive.". "We could...umm...not do it at all", Mitari suggested rather boldly. There was a murmer of agreement. "And why, Mr. Kiyoshi, do you suggest we not do disections?", the teacher, Mrs. Krynee, asked coldly. "Well...it...just doesn't seem right...", Mitari stammered. His face had gone bright cherry red. "No, Mit. Don't back down", Sai thought.  
  
"That animal...didn't do anything to deserve its fate. That animal was hauled from the sea and poisoned so a class of highschool students could examine it. I'm afraid I see that as cruelty on the part of ningens.", Mitari continued, his face roughly the same color as a tomatoe. Sai felt she would explode with pride. Mrs. Krynee's face had gone white and she kind of looked stunned. "I was told you were a very shy student, Kiyoshi...you'd never stand up to a teacher...obviously, I was misinformed...yes...if you feel that strongly about it, I guess we could do an alternative...". The classroom erupted with cheers. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ok, so we'll meet at my house and work on the project there", Shuu said afterschool that day. Their alternative assignment was to get in groups and construct a model of the insides of a shark using their textbooks. Everyone agreed that was much better than cutting the thing up. "Right. Everyone know what they're bringing?", Aya asked. She was met with a chorus of "yes". "Ok, then. We'll meet at my house in thirty minutes then", Shuu said cheerfully and bounded into his house. Sai, who did was not hiding out as close to Shuu as the Aya and Mitari were said farewell to the other two and raced off to her house.  
  
She hurried into the house, said hi to Rinku, and dashed to change into normal ningen clothes. After she'd pulled on a black tanktop and a pair of denium cutoff shorts she headed into the kitchen. "Ah, where's Kurama-san. Have I got a story to tell him!", Sai asked happily.  
  
"You won't find him here anymore. He went to buy ningen clothes and he's gonna move back in with his ningen family. They're expecting him-his stepfather has even given him a job in his computer shop.". "Ohhh...I'm going there now...we have a group project. I guess I'll pull him aside and tell him there..." Sai looked at her watch, a ningen device that told time. "Ack! I'm gonna be late!", she cried and hurried out the door.  
  
Sai arrived exactly the same moment Aya did. "Hey!", Aya called cheerfully, a bright smile on her face. Sai was shocked-she looked so different out of her school uniform. She was wearing a white tube top and skirt with a little white jacket-vest covering her shoulders. Her silver hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and held there with a white bow. "She looks like a kitsune except her eyes are blue instead of yellow!", Sai thought. "Are you OK?", Aya asked, breaking into her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine", Sai answered, ringing the bell to the Hakataka residence.  
  
Shuu answered the door wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt. "Come on in, Mitari's allready here", he said, ushering the girls inside. He led them into the living room. Mitari was looking at the Anatomy book and jotting down notes on the anatomy of a shark. "Wow, look at that...", Mitari said. "Good thing Mrs. Krynne doesn't want a lifesized model". "We'd never get it to school!", Shuu laughed. He headed into the kitchen to get everyone snacks. Sai watched him go with a horrible sense of forbodeing. For Kurama to move back in, she new something was up. She also now understood why he was so protective of his little brother-she'd be, too, if Shuu was her little brother. Then she realized she was starting to view not just Shuuichi, but Mitari and Aya, too, as her little brothers and sister. She'd protect them at any cost.  
  
"No, no...The lung doesn't go there...move it over to the left a little!", Mitari said, instructing Aya where to to place the lung. The silver-haired girl was having difficulty because she was laughing so hard. Mitari turned around and caught Shuu making faces at her. "Why, you...", Mitari cried, throwing a pillow at Shuuichi, who caught it easily. An all- out war broke out. Sai laughed at them until Shuu hit her in the face with a pillow. "Ohhh...Shuuichi Hakataka, you're going down!", she cried, and, grabbing a pillow off the couch, joined in the melee. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, well, well....This is an unusual way to find even a bunch of ningens like themselves.", a cold voice said. The children and youkai stopped their war and turned around. "YOU!", Sai screamed, reconizing Yoda. "Me.", Yoda said calmly. "Hello, girl. I didn't expect even one of your kind to sink so low as to be with a bunch of ningens. I thought only Kurama did that.". As he spoke, his eyes passed over Aya, Shuuichi, and Mitari. "There's a pretty girl...she's almost too pretty to be ningen. Maybe I'll kill you three and take her back to the Makai with us.". Aya shivered and backed into the wall. "It's like she knows what this idiot's talking about", Sai observed.  
  
"Yoda, you may have beat me last time, but I swear it, if you fight me now, I'm going to kill you.", Sai growled. "You won't lay a hand on these ningen children!". Mitari suddenly snapped up as though waking from a trance. He ran to the table, picked up a glass of water, and, to Sai's shock, slit his finger open. "Look at what ningens do when they're scared. He's totally lost it!" Sai suddenly remembered what Yusuke, Kaito, and Yanagisawa had told them about the Black Magic Portal. Could Mitari have been one of the affected kids three years ago? Her question was soon answered-Mitari's blood mixed with the water, and a large water serpant came crashing down on Yoda. Sai stared, trembling. She'd never seen such a thing, even in the Makai...and here was a ningen, doing this! It also ment the Black Magic Portal had been reopened. 


	7. The Mystery Starts

A/N: Thank you, Rhisa. ^_^ I now have reason to continue. LOL. Oh, and for whoever E-mailed me (I'm sorry, I forgot your name. ^^), yes, Yoda is actually the name of one of the youkai in Yomi's territory. He's really ugly. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. Peace, all! :D  
  
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Shuu and Aya stared, awestruck, at the large water serpant advancing on Yoda. "What's going on!?", Aya cried, flattening herself against the wall. "Don't worry", Sai tried to reassure her. "He's not going to hurt you or Shuu. Just keep back.". Yoda laughed. "That's what you think", he said. He vanished before the children's eyes and, in a blur, Mitari was unconscious. "MITARI!", Shuu cried, trying to get to his friend's side. Sai caught him around the waist. "Shuuichi! Stop!", she snapped. The boy stopped strugging and looked at her.  
  
"You have to stay back. I don't know if I'll be able to stop him, but you mustn't interfer. This is a youkai, a dangerous one. If anything happens to me, take Aya and get out of here". "What about Mitari?", Shuu asked, tears in his eyes. "He's not going to hurt him. You and Aya are the ones he's interested in." "Why?". Sai struggled to find an answer while looking into his large, frightened brown eyes. Why? Asked like a small child would. Why? Yet she couldn't give him an answer-not without revealing everything.  
  
"Are you finished yet? I'm growing impatient", Yoda snapped. His eyes passed dangerously over Shuu and Aya. "You can try to protect them, if you want, but once you're gone, they will be defenseless." "That's why you won't get past me this time", Sai said, pulling out the katana she'd tucked into the duffle bag she'd brought. "Let's move this outside". "As you wish", Yoda replied. "However, they're to go out, too." Here he pointed at Aya and Shuu. Sai winced, but agreed-they'd still have a better chance of getting away outside. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The two squared off in the Hakataka's back yard. Yoda and Sai raised their katanas at eachother. For several tense minutes, neither moved, anicipating an attack from the other. Then, without warning, Yoda attacked. Sai got out of the way of his blade just in time and slashed at him with her own katana. He blocked it easily with his katana and rounded on the girl. She felt the blade pierce her left shoulder and nearly dropped her katana. She knew it was going to be almost impossible to continue to fight with her arm messed up, but she had to keep trying.  
  
Sai was about to try an attack on Yoda, but haulted at a brilliant flash of light. Yoda spun around to find the source. SNAP! His head was lying on the ground. "Kurama", Sai thought. "He came!". Sure enough, the redhead came walking up, looking, for lack of a better word, dangerous. He stared at the bleeding corpse with absolutely none of his usual compassion on his face. "Are you all OK?", he asked. Shuu's mouth dropped open. "Shuuichi!", he cried.  
  
Kurama's face softened considerably as he pulled Shuu to him in a brotherly embrace. "I'm sorry, Shuu-Kun. I should've been here sooner.", he whispered. His brother pulled away and looked him clear in the eyes. "Don't blame yourself. However, now that you're back, you're not gonna leave, are you?". Kurama laughed. "No. No, I promise this time I'm not going to leave you.". He looked up at the sky and prayed he wouldn't have to break his promise. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After he'd gotten Sai's arm bandaged up and had made sure Mitari wasn't in any danger (He wasn't. He'd just suffered a blunt on the head), Kurama called Mitari and Aya's parents and explained to them (as best as he could) what had happened that afternoon. For preventative messures, he suggested the children stay at the Hakataka house for a while. Mitari lived with his father, who, it seemed, couldn't care less where his son stayed, and told Kurama that he really didn't care either way. He wasn't the problem. It was when he called Aya's house that he met slight difficulty.  
  
Mrs. Kazanaki was a very protective, loving parent who didn't want her daughter away from home. She went near hysterical when he told her what had happened. Finally, Mrs. Kazanaki agreed she thought it was best Aya stay there, but asked to be allowed to bring her daughter her clothes and uniforms, and some other things she may want or need, and to be allowed to comunicate with her by phone every once in a while. Kurama, who was reminded strongly of his own mother, agreed that it would be allright. Then he hung up and, with the help of Shuu and Aya, started to clean up the house.  
  
Shortly after they'd gotten the house cleaned up, the doorbell rang. Kurama answered the door and let in an attractive woman in her late 30's who was carrying a suitcase and several grocery bags. Her porcelen-white skin, curly silver hair, and light blue eyes told Kurama she was Aya's mother right away. "Are you Shuuichi Minamino?", she asked Kurama as he let her in. "Yes, Ma'am", Kurama said politely. "Hidei Kazanaki...where's my daughter?". "Ah, yes...Aya-Chan!", Kurama called. "Your Kaasan is here!". Aya shuffled shyly into the hallway to meet her mother. Kurama had had the kids clean themselves off, so she was wearing an old shirt of Shuu's and a pair of his swimtrunks.  
  
Mrs. Kazanaki didn't seem to care that she was dressed in Shuu's old clothes. "Aya-Chan!", she cried, grabbing her daughter and sobbing against her shoulder. "Okassan...please...don't cry...I'm not hurt...It's not good for your health to cry!". Hidei pulled away and ran her hand through Aya's silken curls. "I'm just glad you're allright...", she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you". "Okaasan...", Aya murmured and looked at the floor. Kurama was shocked. Was that guilt on her face? Aya's eyes darted upward to look into those of her mother. "Promise me you're going to take care of yourself. That you'll take your medicine, and you'll go to the doctor as soon as you feel any difficulty, Okaasan".  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they said goodbye to Hidei. Aya stared at all the stuff her mother had brought her with tears in her eyes. "You need some help carrying that to the room you'll be staying in?", Kurama asked gently. The girl lifted her head. "Yes, please". She stood up and Kurama noticed the back of her leg was scratched up. "Aya-Chan...your leg...". "It's OK. I scraped it when I backed up into that rose bush", she said, swooping down and picking up two of the bags. Kurama helped her carry all the things her mother had brought her into the nearest guest room and then left her to get herself settled in. As he shut the door, he felt a painful tug at his heart. Hidei reminded him of his mother...and Aya reminded him of himself... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Well, that's all for this chapter. Next chapter is the big one! You do not want to miss it. I'm not gonna tell you what happens, but it's full of surprises. On a completely unrelated note, has anyone taken the YYH personality test on ReikiTantei.net? It's alot of fun, but I'm not sure on the accuracy. I always get I'm most like Kurama or Jin...LOL. Anyhow, if anyone's taken it and thinks it is accurate, let me know. I could do with a good laugh or two. ^_^ 


	8. A Midnight Talk

A/N: This is the big chapter all! The most interesting, most shocking, deepest chapter I've written in the story so far! *Has a big, happy smile*. Ok, so maybe I am overexaggerating a bit, but this is, in my opinion, the best chapter I've written so far. So enjoy! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It'd been a week since Kurama had moved Aya and Mitari into their house for protection. He kept noticing more and more things about Aya that reminded him of himself. Like how she'd often spend hours stareing at the flowers in his garden. Often she'd touch the wilting ones, and when he would go out to tend to them, they wouldn't be wilting anymore. She also had his temperment. She was gentle, sweet, and somewhat-quiet. Kurama felt she was probably a good student in school, and wouldn't have been surprised if he'd learned she was the top student in the grade. He pondered this for a while as he helped his mother cook dinner. "Aya...what are you?", he thought.  
  
Kurama couldn't sleep that night. The sound of the rain lapping against the window, the wind howling violently, the distant, cracking thunder, put him at unease. It was nights like this he thought about his former life as a kitsune. It was nights like this he mulled over his betrayl of Yomi. More importantly, it was nights like this he remembered the first true friend he'd ever had. "The night I met Kuronue...was just like this...", he thought. A single tear rolled down his face. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*FLASHBACK*~  
  
The young kitsune had no name, no family, no friends, absolutely no one to love him. He'd been on his own as long as he could remember, and it showed in his appearence. His hair was so filthy that any color was undeterminable. His pale face was smudged with dirt and streaked with tears. This was the condition he was in when the Youkai hunters caught him to sell. "Poor bred, I think", one guy said, holding the child up by his tail. It didn't matter to them, anyway. The child was an orphan. An abondoned child with his leg broken.  
  
"It's a wonder he's lived this long", a man with a long beard said, examining the little kitsune child. "Get him cleaned up and put him with the other child. We'll sell them both together and make double the profit. Young Youkai are valuable, you know.". So the kitsune child was taken and given his first bath in a long time. He was dressed in pure white clothes and his silver hair was combed until it shone. Then he was lifted up and carried to a cage that contained a single child and locked him him.  
  
"Hi, I'm Kuronue", the other child said plesently enough to the kitsune. The kitsune blinked. This child had a name? That ment he had been taken from his parents. The kitsune looked over Kuronue. He had long black hair and pale violet eyes. In his hand he firmly held on to a shining red pendant. "I...don't have a name", the kitsune whispered stareing at his feet. "Don't have a name!", Kuronue cried, making the kitsune jump. "well, we can't have that. I know...I'll call you Kurama. Do you like that?".  
  
~*END FLASHBACK*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kurama pushed back his sheets and climbed out of bed. "Maybe a glass of juice will help", he thought as he walked towards the kitchen. Kurama got his juice and found he didn't feel any better. He walked sadly to the window and pushed the blinds open. Kurama peered out the window, watching the rain. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small figure kneeling outside. Someone with long, silver hair. "Aya-chan?".  
  
"Aya-Chan?". Aya looked up and found herself stareing into a pair of beautiful emerald eyes. "Minamino-san?", she whispered. "What are you doing out here?", Kurama asked sympathetically. "I couldn't sleep and roses always look prettier when the rain is freshly fallen on them". She paused and gazed up at him, her eyes taking a brilliant vibrancey in the pale light from Kurama's flashlight. "Minamino-San? Are you...ningen?".  
  
Kurama tried to keep his composure, wondering what had led her to ask him such a question. She was, he knew, being sincere, and that was what unnerved him. "Minamino-san?". He drew in a deep breath. "Why do you ask such a question, Aya-chan?". "Would you promise not to breathe a word if I told you? If I told you, you'd understand better why I asked you." Kurama nodded. "You have my word. I promise.". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Aya opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She trembled before Kurama, silent tears coursing down her face. "Aya-Chan...if it's too painful...". The girl shook her head, drew in a deep breath, and seemed to regain some of her composure. "Minamino-San, I asked you if you were ningen because I am not. Well, my body is, but my spirit is of a special kind of dog youkai, the Inuko. A long time ago, my mother and I were both hunted because of the Inuko's rare and unusual beauty and mysterious powers. My mother, 16 years ago, was slain, and she told me to take Ningen form to protect myself. I did as I was told to, planning to return to the Makai when I became of age and track down those who murdered my Youkai mother..."  
  
"But you've become attached to your Ningen mother?", Kurama suplied for her. "Y-Yeah", Aya stammered. "How'd you know?". "Because I'm still living with Shiori Minamino-Hakataka not because I'm scared, but because I love her. And I love Shuu, and my steptousan, too. There's nothing wrong with loving Ningens, Aya-Chan. Nothing at all.". "There's not?", Aya asked hopefully, looking like a weight had been lifted off her slight shoulders. "Not at all!", Kurama cried. "I used to be a kitsune...Something very similar happened to me. I was injured and weak, so I took Ningen form. I was gonna abandon my Ningen mother, but I found I could not leave her. It's OK to love Ningens...It really is...".  
  
"Minamino-san?". "Yes, Aya-chan?". "The flowers are really beautiful". Kurama looked over at the brilliant red roses growing in his garden. Then his eyes fell on a particular rose...a piercing silver rose with icy blue tips. "Is that where you cut your leg?", he asked, motioning to the rose. "Yes...Inuko's have strong shadow powers. They can manipulate their shadows to do anything. They can also affect plants by touching them...or bleeding on them...That bush will slowly turn all the roses like that flower and that bush will outlast every other bush in your garden.". Kurama reached over and carefully plucked the silver rose off so he wouldn't cut his fingers on the thorns.  
  
"It really is very beautiful.", he murmured, spinning the rose around in his fingers. "I used to say evil blood produced the most beautiful flowers...but I think it is actually innocent blood that does.". Kurama stood up and pulled Aya to her feet. He handed her the rose. "Come on, Aya- Chan. We'd better get inside before we get sick.". With that, he and Aya ran towards the house, heavy with water, but light with contentment. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I'm undecided on if Aya should become Shuu's girlfriend or Kurama's. Someone please help me! If you think she's not too young for Kurama and think they'd actually make a decent couple, let me know. If you have other ideas for Kurama's lover, think he's too old for her, or something else, let me know. Your opinions will determine the outcome of the next few chapters. R&R! 


	9. Down Time

A/N: Wahoo! I got six emails last night, five of which told me they thought Kurama and Aya should be together, one that said Aya and Shuu. I guess you people didn't want everyone to know your votes, so I will refrain from using any names. Thank you to everyone who E-mailed me, though, because now I know exactly how to finish this story. I've outlined it, and it's around 30-35 chapters long, so it is far from over. ^_^ Anyhow, I'm going to stray away from Kurama and Aya romance this chapter, and give fans of other characters a chapter to enjoy. *Gets pelted in the head with rotten grapefruit by Kurama fans* Ow... :P ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jin sighed. He was sooo bored! Touya, Aries, and Istas were all still asleep, Sai was focusing on her school work, and Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki were outside, training. The bird youkai was winning, too, from the look of Suzuki. The blond man was limping more than slightly and seemed to be struggling to catch his breath. Jin shook his head. Everyday, Suzuki and Shishiwakamaru went out to train. Everyday, Suzuki insisted the bird-youkai didn't hold back against him, and everyday Shishi had to help Suzuki inside. Jin was begining to think Suzuki liked being inflicted with pain.  
  
Ten minutes later, Shishiwakamaru was actually carrying Suzuki into the house. Jin hurried off to get bandages. Suzuki opened one pale green eye painfully. "I lost again?", he asked. "Oh, yeah", Shishiwakamaru replied with a slight smile on his face. "Did I even come close?". "Nope. Quit pushing yourself so hard. I don't want to be responsible for the death of my best friend.". "Until I can beat you, I won't be of much use in a fight". "You faired well enough against the youkai in the Makai World Tournament". "They've probably been training the past three years while we wandered the Makai.". A painful sort of look crossed Suzuki's face, and Shishiwakamaru could tell he was recalling his run-in with Toguro Ototo. "Get some rest", he said and left his friend in peace.  
  
"He's gonna be OK?", Jin asked. "Fine if he listens to me and takes it slow for a few days". The redhead laughed. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry! Wanana go grab something to eat?". Shishiwakamaru considered for a minute. "I don't know, Jin...none of us have ever been to a Ningen resteraunt before...The food could be toxic to Youkai.". Jin laughed. "If it's good enough for Suzuki, I think we'll manage.". "Tell you what. Why don't we wait a little while for Touya and the girls, and we'll all go together.". "Allright", Jin agreed, and hurried off as though he were caught in a whirlwind. Shishiwakamaru shook his head. "That boy has enough enerygy to power a bomb". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sai growled at her homework. "Stupid Shuu, for having such hard classes. Calculus! What a waste of time!" She was frustrated with all the numbers, equations, and charts. "Screw it! Damn it all to hell! I'm a Youkai!". She threw the book off the table and stood up. "Could you please not make so much noise?", a deep voice asked, sounding a bit raspy from sleep. Sai looked up and saw Touya looking down at her with a disapproving look on his pale face. The ice youkai bent down and picked up her book. "No one ever said you had to do this kind of stuff, you're just to go to school and watch over Shuu...and Kurama wants you to keep an eye on Aya now, as well. No sense waking everyone up over it.". Sai laughed. "Touya, you're such a light sleeper me opening a door could wake you up."  
  
"That may be true, but you're missing my point. And that's to quit killing yourself.". "I suppose you're right", Sai agreed, stuffing the book back into her bag. "So, why does Kurama want me to look after Aya. Is she in danger, too?". "Well, he thinks she could be. She's a former Inuko, and Kurama thinks if the youkai figure that out, she'll be in trouble. I think he fancies her, if you want to know the truth". "That's sweet. Kurama finally found someone he loves.", Sai said smiling. "Yeah...but if Yomi's freaks find out...". Touya made a motion with his finger of a throat being slit open. "I guess you have a point there...", Sai whispered. Then, becoming cheerful again, she said "Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen on my watch".  
  
"What's going on down here?", Istas asked, walking out sleepily in her white nightgown. Her short hair was a rumpled mess. She was followed down by Aries, who was wearing a pale blue bathrobe and a scowl. "Excellent? Is everyone up now!", Jin cried excitedly. Istas rose an eyebrow at him. "What are you so happy about?" "Well...", Jin proceeded to explain his conversation with Shishiwakamaru from the morning. No one seemed too thrilled with that idea. "Tell you what", Aries said. "I'LL cook us all a nice breakfast. And then we can go out and do something that doesn't involve putting harmful waste into our bodies". That's exactly what she did. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
ONE WEEK LATER  
  
Sai found she was starting to relax quite a bit. For starters, there were no signs of any new youkai. She was also begining to spend more time with Touya, who seemed to understand her quite a bit. He was actually quite sweet and friendly in a quiet sort of way. She also found she was happier now that she was taking Touya's advice and not killing herself with school work. If she knew something, she did it, and if she didn't, she put it aside and forgot about it. On this particular saturday, she was working on some Anatomy work. She was busy labeling the parts of the Ningen skeleton when she felt someone wrap their arms around her. She looked up into a pair of pale, icy blue eyes half-hidden behind a few mint green hairs.  
  
"Hey, Touya", she said, feeling her face go red. He grinned down at her. "Jin and I were thinking...", he started. "Jin's capable of thought?", Sai teased, making Touya's face go red, too. "Well, OK, I'll admit it. I thought of it, and he figured it was a good idea. Maybe, if you're not busy tonight, you and Istas would be interested in going out with us?". "Touya, are you asking me to be your date tonight?", she asked, raising her eyebrow. "Basically that's the size of it", Touya admitted. "And Jin wants to go out with Istas, so I thought we could go together...make things less akward". "Where are Jin and Istas?", Sai asked. "Outside watching Shishiwakamaru beat the crap out of Suzuki again.". Touya chuckled softly. "Some people never give up...even when they know it's utterly hopeless".  
  
"Ah, well...some things are worth fighting for...like love...", Sai said in a voice just barely above a whisper. Touya wrapped his arms around her again and held her tightly to him. "Yes...", he agreed and pressed his lips softly over hers. Sai's eyes went wide, but then she relaxed and went along with it, enjoying the kiss. It was over sooner than she would've liked. "Ah, right...", Touya said, suddenly looking embarassed. "I guess we'll go out at around 7". "Wait.", Sai called. "Where are we going?". "Oh, that would help, wouldn't it. Jin wants to go to the beach and then walk along the boardwalk down there!". And with those words, he was gone. Sai watched him go, feeling like she could burst with happiness. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I can't believe we're so worried about how we look just to go to the beach", Istas said as she and Sai redied themselves. Both she and Sai were wearing their bathing suits underneath sundresses and trying to figure out how to put their hair so they looked a little better then usual. "Hey! Are you girls ready to go yet!?", Jin called up happily from the bottom of the staircase. "Lets go. Our prince charmings are waiting for us", Sai said, pulling the scrunchie from her hair. "You leaving it down?", Istas asked incredulously. "Yeah...for once". Sai turned the doorknob and walked out. Istas quickly pulled her hair back and followed closely behind.  
  
"Woah", Istas thought, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn't help but stare at Jin. She'd always known he was muscular, but there was nothing like seeing him standing there, shirtless, to reveal just *how* muscular he actually was. He caught her stareing at him. "Something wrong?", he asked, his sapphire eyes sparkling. "Ummm...nothing. Nothing at all.", Istas replied, smiling sheepishly. Jin reached for his black tanktop and pulled it on. "Ooopps...almost forgot that", he said, blushing sheepishly. "It's OK", Istas said with a giggle. "I almost wish he had forgotten his shirt", she added in her mind as she, Sai, Jin, and Touya left for the beach.  
  
They set down their towels, bags, and water pails and walked over to the water's edge. Jin stared at the waves lapping against the shoreline, his eyes sparkling. "Too bad the water's so cold", he said wistfully. "Ah, it's not cold", Touya said, pulling off his white tank top and dropping it onto the sand. He ran straight into the water. Istas pulled off her sundress and dashed into the water after Touya. Jin and Sai stood at the shore, watching them but not daring to go in. Istas and Touya put their heads together, discussing something. It made their friends feel nervous. With lightning speed, Istas and Touya ran out of the water. Jin felt Touya's ice-cold hands on his back, while Sai was being dragged into the water by Istas. "Stop! Stop!" Jin cried, laughing. He dug his feet into the ground as Touya shoved him, overbalanced, and fell face-first into the icy water. "So cold!". He jumped up and tackled Touya into the water, laughing his head off.  
  
Sai, who was no where near as good-natured as Jin, was not finding Istas trying to force her into the water amusing in the least bit. She fought with everything she had. Jin and Touya had now taken to playing some kind of game that invloved kicking water all over eachother. "Catch me if you can!", Jin called cheerfully, dashing out of the water. Touya dashed out after his friend, a bucket of water in each hand. "Get back here, Jin!", he hollered. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going. SLAM. He managed to run right into Istas. She fell, taking Sai down with her.  
  
"TOUYA!!", Istas yelled at the top of her lungs. Jin stopped running and spun around to see what was going on, and Sai managed to get up in time to see Istas chasing Touya around, walloping him on the head with an empty bucket. "Do you think she's mad?", Jin whispered to Sai. "Just a little", Sai whispered back, not knowing why she found the site amusing. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
They left the beach an hour later and headed for the boardwalk. Sai was the only completely dry one in the group. They'd barely walked five paces before Istas spotted an icecream stand and said she wanted some. They had ningen money on them, so they all went and bought some icecream. After they finished, they played some games. Touya won a gigantic stuffed tiger for Sai playing the ringtoss, while Jin managed to win a large stuffed panda for Istas by hitting the high score on the strength machine. The girls won smaller toys playing the darts and shooting games.  
  
After they grew bored of the games, they decided to ride the rollar coaster and ferris wheels. The coaster gave them all a fright. "I didn't know the ningens knew how to make such stuff", Touya whispered as they got off. Jin fell asleep on the ferris wheel. "Gosh...he looks so cute", Istas thought, snuggling against him. Even though he was asleep, Jin grabbed onto her, much the way a child would unconsciously grab onto a teddy bear. "Kawaii", Istas thought. She wanted to kiss him, but was afraid she'd wake him up. Their seat stopped at the top. Istas took in the sight in awe, wishing he was awake to enjoy it with her.  
  
After their car had been in the air for a few seconds, she realized that they probably wouldn't be going anywhere. Istas leaned over and planted a kiss on Jin's cheek. His sapphire blue eyes snapped open. "Oh, Istas. *yawn*. Hey. I'm sorry...I didn't realize I fell asleep". He balled one of his hands into a fist and rubbed at his left eye. "It's OK. Look, Jin. Isn't it beautiful?". "The stars in the sky are much more attractive than the lights", Jin said, pointing up. He pointed out several constilations Istas had never heard of before. She felt so content, she was dissappointed when the ride started moving again.  
  
"Ah! It's moving!", Jin shouted, sounding scared. He grabbed onto her without realizing it. Istas smiled. "No, Jin, it's OK. It's supposed to move. That's the only way for us to get down". Jin blushed and quickly let go of Istas. "Sorry", he appologized again, rubbing the back of his head. "No, it's OK", Istas said, pulling him back to her. In the moonlight, her lips found his. Jin's face went as red as his hair. "Aww, you're blushing", Istas teased. The ride haulted and they got out to meet up with Touya and Sai. As Jin helped her out of the car, Istas knew this was a night she would never forget. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Well, that's all for chapter 9, folks. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm rather proud of how this turned out. ^_^ Did you like it, hate it, think I should give up fiction writing forever? There's 2 ways you can let me know. 1). You can push that happy little review button on the bottom of the page and submit a review. 2). You can E-mail me. I've actually have been recieveing alot of E-mails, but no new reviews these past few days. Either way is find. It's the feedback I enjoy getting. ^_^ 


	10. The Painful Pasts

A/N: WAII!!! *Goes all Chibi Inu and wags her tail* THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, everyone who E-mailed me and my one reviewer! (Heart) It was so nice going into my inbox and finding 31 new E-mails, 26 of which are E- mailed Reviews. Not to mention one actual review with an E-mail request (Heart x 3). It may take some time, but I promise I will write back to each and every one of you personally. ^_^ Well, it seems alot of you want to see some spark between Aya and Kurama, so you'll get it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow...Look at the rain. I was just begining to think it was done raining-it hasn't rained all weekend!", Kurama whispered to Aya. The two were sitting in the safety of the screen room, on a swinging chair, watching the rain fall down. "Very...misleading", Aya whispered sleepily. She snuggled close to Kurama, who placed his arm protectively around her. She was very warm. "If you're tired, you still have time to sleep before dinner". Kurama got no response and realized she had allready fallen asleep. Gently, Kurama edged her off him and settled her comfortably on the swing. "Sleep well", he whispered and went inside. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Aya-Chan!". Aya stared up and saw a familiar face staring down at her. The brown eyes glittered playfully underneath blond hair. "Kido?", she whispered. "But then...am I dead?". "No, you're dreaming.", Kido answered. "I was given permission to talk to you. I just wanted to make sure you're allright". "You lied to me", Aya whispered. "You told me you were going to spend the night at Yanagisawa's house...and then you went to that...house...". Kido held up a hand to stop her. "I know. I've been a terrible older brother, but it couldn't be helped, baby sister. I HAD to go". Aya put her hands on her hips. "You didn't have to lie to me!".  
  
"If you had known I was gonna be in trouble, would you have let me leave the house that morning?". "I would have...and atleast I would've had an idea...Mother wanted to know why you were at the hospital when you were supposed to be at Yano's house. Then, later, we got told that you were brought in from the park because another friend of yours had been shot. I want the true story, Kido! What happened that day?". Kido drew in a deep breath. "Of course, baby sister. You deserve the truth, too.". Slowly, he began to explain it. (A/N: I'm not gonna go into it. If you've allready seen YYH, then the whole Kamiya-hospital-thing will bore you and if you didn't, I dun want to cause a spoiler.)  
  
"Do you understand now, Aya-Chan? I'm really sorry...really, I am...but it couldn't be helped.". "I understand", Aya replied. "Thank you for coming to talk to me". "I'm glad I could. I've gotta get going now, Aya- Chan. I promise I'll visit you again as soon as I can". He vanished. "NOOO!! KIDO! KIDO! ONIISAN!", Aya cried. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Aya-Chan....Aya? AYA-CHAN!". She opened her eyes and saw Kurama standing over her. "Kurama-San?", she whispered. It still felt weird to her, calling him Kurama. "You OK?", he asked. "You're crying. Over and over you kept calling Kido.". "Kido is my half-brother's name. He died three years ago...". Kurama felt as though all the blood had drained out of him. "Kido Asato?", he asked. "Yeah...did you know him?". "Not personally...but I did work with him for a few hours.".  
  
She looked at the floor, tears still streaming down her white cheeks. Kurama felt as though his heart had been lit on fire. He pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder. "It's OK, Aya-Chan. We all have weights on our hearts.", he whispered, stroking her beautiful hair. She pulled away and looked up at him. "Kurama-San? Did you loose someone close to you, too?". "Hai...He wasn't actually related to me, but he was like my brother none-the-less. His name was Kuronue.". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Kurama had talked with her for a while, they'd established an understanding between them. Aya still needed his shoulder to cry on, which he gave to her without hesitation. He planted a kiss on the top of her head and gently stroked her hair until all her tears had stopped. Even after she'd finished crying, and had fallen back asleep in his arms, he held her. "Aya-Chan...I will never let anyone hurt you again." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Well, that's it. Sorry this chapter is so short, I couldn't think of anything else to write. :S Writer's block stinks. Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad. 


	11. School Maddness

A/N: I got the idea for this chapter from a Yami no Matsuei manga I read. ^_^ I don't own YnoM, and I don't own YYH... If I did, I'd be a rich little puppy and would be able to buy everyone apple pie and CinnaBuns...but, sadly, I'm not. You no sue, me no be sad and cry. ^_^  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
....The gentle rain, still not stopping... The soaked people and town nevertheless believe in the sun shining again. An old melody A blurrhed silhouette A weak way of life isn't really cool, you know?...  
  
Kurama drew a deep breath and straightened his tie. "I hope this'll do", he thought. "I don't like my hair short, but it looks professional. Sure made Okaasan happy that I cut it, though". He made a mental note to thank Kaito later for being able to hack into the computer and register him as a teacher. He'd be taking over the position of the history teacher who had quit because she was ready to have a nervous breakdown. Kurama was nervous knowing this, as it made him wonder what kind of students he was going to have. His first class, which was 2nd hour, was the class his brother, Aya, Sai, and Mitari were in, but after that, he had no idea. "Well, here goes nothing", Kurama said, and walked into the high school. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, my god! Did you see that man with the red hair!? He's adorable!" "He's a new teacher.". "Oh, my God! Really!? What's he teach!?". "Advanced Placement History". "Oh, that sucks. Only smart girls will be able to get him". Shuuichi Hakataka laughed as he walked with Sai, Aya, and Mitari towards his brother's class. "Looks like they're all nuts over my brother". His brown eyes sparkled mischiviously as he said it. "Seems that way", Aya whispered, looking rather uncomfortable. "You're not jealous?", Mitari asked curiously, looking into Shuu's face. "Nah. My brother's too great a guy to me jealous of. It's not like he'd look twice at any of his students anyway.". Shuu pushed open the door and held it for his friends to walk inside.  
  
Kurama looked up and smiled as Shuu, Aya, Sai, and Mitari walked into his classroom. "Shuuichi!", Shuu called cheerfully, waving to his brother. Kurama laughed. "Heya, Shuu-Kun. How was your day so far?". "Anatomy's awful!", Shuu called back, taking his seat. Kurama bit back the gales of laughter that threatened to escape him. He hadn't liked Anatomy much when he was a student, either. He looked around at Mitari and Sai, who were busy copying Shuu's homework. He shook his head, but let it go, as his brother was oblivious to the fact they were copying his paper. Shuu was busy talking to some girl with short black hair sitting beside him. His gaze shifted over to Aya. Her face was half-hidden behind her book and her silky silver curls. If he hadn't known better, he would've sworn she was blushing. The late bell rang, and Kurama proceeded to take roll, his eyes still focused on the kids he was in school to protect.  
  
"But, Sensei...why didn't they just throw Nixon in jail when they found out about Watergate? Why did they waste time with the trial and everything?", Shuu asked. Kurama had to smile, even though he had no answer for his brother. "That's a good question, Shuu-Kun. Unfortunately, I have no answer for you. I suppose the Americans were more leinent in the law system.". Shuu nodded and shut his eyes. His head went down on the desk with a plop. Kurama shook his head. "Anyhow, while Shuuichi takes his nap, are there any more questions?". The classroom dissoveled into giggles.  
  
"I have one!", a girl with shoulder-length brown hair cried. "Oh?". Kurama smiled at her. "What's your question, Tamira-Chan?". "I have two now", Tamira said. "First is how come you call all of us by our 1st names? Second is will you go out with me?". Kurama's face turned almost as red as his hair. "Well, I call you all by your 1st names since I'm so close to you all's ages. And I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline the date". The classroom exploded with more laughter. The bell rang, saving Kurama from further embarassment. "OH! Read chapter 26, section 2 tonight, and take notes. That'll be all!", Kurama called after his class as they left. Only two pupils remained in the classroom-Aya and his little brother, who was asleep at his desk.  
  
"Is something the matter, Aya-Chan?", Kurama asked, grabbing the long stick off his chalkboard to prod Shuu with. "You...well...I...". She seemed to be struggling to form the words. "Aya-Chan, it's OK. You don't have to say it". "You know I love you?", she whispered, surprised. "Yes, I do...". "But you don't love me back?", she asked. "I didn't say that...It's just...Look, I think it's best we don't get too close to eachother yet.". "I understand". Aya stood up and grabbed her books. "I'd better be off to my next class". She left the classroom. Kurama prodded Shuu on the back with the stick, feeling bad for her. In his heart, though, he knew he'd done the right thing. If Aya didn't get too close to him, she wasn't in any danger. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kurama felt exhausted by the time he got home. Shuu and Mitari were watching some video on TV when he walked into the living room. Their school books were piled on the table, telling Kurama that they'd allready finished studying. "Where's Aya-Chan?", he asked. "She went to see her father...it's not gonna be easy on her. She hates him.", Shuu replied, looking sorry for his friend. "Ever since her half-brother Kido died...she didn't think it was right that she and her Okaasan cried for him, her Okaasan not even related to the boy, and he didn't show any remorse.", Mitari added slowly. Kurama walked over and pressed his hand on Mitari's shoulder. Sapphire blue eyes met emerald green, and Mitari nodded. "She'll be allright", Kurama assured the boys. "Just be extra nice when she gets back.".  
  
Aya returned a little after eight o'clock, looking close to collapse. Her face was streaked with tears. "Aya-Chan", Shiori whispered, taking notice to the girl's tears. "What's wrong?". "I HATE HIM!", Aya cried, throwing her bag onto the floor. There was the sound of something breaking. "Do you want me to make you some tea and we can talk about it?", Shiori offered. Aya smiled weakly at her. "No thank you, Hakataka-San. I think I'm just gonna go to bed.". She headed up the stairs to her room, leaving the bag on the floor. Kurama and his mother exchanged glances with eachother and picked up the bag. Inside were the broken pieces of a porcelin doll. "It didn't break too badly", Shiori said, grabbing the pieces and a bottle of glue to fix the doll for Aya. Kurama nodded. "Aya-Chan...What did he do to you that you hate him so much?", he thought. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Well, that's it. I'm allready working on chapter 12, so you can expect that soon. ^^. The next few chapters are were things really get interesting, with the story peaking at chapter 15, so if you bear with me, I promise you won't be dissappointed! 


	12. Dark Stories

A/N: Ok, everyone keeps asking me "Why DOES Aya-Chan hate her father so much?". Well, you'll find out this chapters. WARNING: There are some references to rape and child abuse. If this stuff bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ this chapter! I don't wanna offend anyone. You have been warned. (Fic updated to PG-13 rating, just to be safe) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"...If it's to protect someone precious to me, it's OK if this body of mine is wounded... It's OK if this heart of mine burns..."  
  
Aya sighed and pushed her ponytail back over her shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the other girls were glaring at her almost all the time, watching her with jealous looks. "There goes the flawless beauty", one girl whispered. "She shouldn't be allowed to be so pretty. It's not fair.", said a second. "I say we break her pretty little face. She won't be so white and perfect with bruises on her face!", replied a third. This was too much for Aya. She spun around and glared at the three talking about her. "You gonna beat me up? Go ahead, please. You'll be doing me a favor!".  
  
The three girls stared at her as though she were crazy. "Well? Go ahead, here, I'll even take my hair down. Maybe my blood'll stain it. That's what you want, isn't it? To mess up my face. Go ahead then.". The girls turned and walked away. Aya didn't care, though. Her thoughts went to her brother, and she figured it was time to pay a visit to his grave again.  
  
As soon as she had changed out of her school uniform, Aya said goodbye to Shuu and Mitari and went to the flower shop. There she picked up a boquet of yellow roses and went to the grave yard. Crying, she set the flowers on her brother's grave. She knelt down and clasped her hands infront of her in prayer for Kido. Slowly her thoughts wandered and the beast of memories broke free. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Aya-Chan, this is your older half brother, Kido", Ryu Asato said. She was seven-years-old and stared at shock at the boy standing infront of her. He had blond hair, brown eyes, and a stunned look on his own face. "OLDER HALF BROTHER!?", she exclaimed at the same time Kido cried "YOUNGER HALF SISTER!?". He was ten at the time. Both children turned and glared at Ryu. "I'm leaving", Kido spat angrilly, practically storming to the door. Ryu struck the boy so hard he fell to the ground. "I will tell you when you can leave. Remember that, Boy!". Then he turned on her. "Aya-Chan, my pretty little doll". Aya trembled in fear.  
  
After that meeting, Kido was moved into the house with Ryu and Hidei. Aya found she got along very well with Kido, but she couldn't understand him. Their father would often beat him, but Kido, dispite how strong he was, would never hit them back. He would quietly take the beating. He'd never give any indication that he was hurting at all, and when their father had finished using Kido as a punching bag, Kido would silently pull himself off the floor and go into his room. There, he would cry by himself, in peace. Aya knew, because she'd heard him in there crying a couple of times. Oh, sure, he acted tough, tried to pretend he wasn't hurting, but she knew. She was probably the only one who knew the depth of his pain. But there was something else that perplexed her even more.  
  
Kido had come in a couple of times on their father "putting the moves" on Aya, and that always greatly angered him. He would strike Ryu then, to get the man off his sister, and then quietly accept the injury he'd inflict on him. For some reason, Kido really seemed to care about her, and she was both grateful and confused, not understanding how someone could love her enough to protect her to the extent of harm to his own body. Finally, when Aya was twelve and Kido was fifteen, Hidei filed for divorce from Ryu and took Aya with her. She even got her and Aya's last names changed back to Kazanaki. She'd tried to get Kido, too, but because she was not Kido's birth mother, and therefore of no relation to the boy, she was not permitted to take him.  
  
He visted her often enough, though. Sometimes he came to take her out alone, as a big brother would take his little sister, but most of the time he came and got her with his best friend, Yanagisawa. The three of them would go mini-golfing, get ice cream, to to movies, go shopping, just about anything imaginable. Yanagisawa basically adopted her as his own little sis, and took the same protective attitute towards her that Kido did.  
  
She couldn't help but notice the friendship her brother shared with Yanagisawa. The two were like brothers themselves, they'd tell eachother anything. If one was hurt or not feeling well, the other was there for him. If one of them was happy, the other was there to share his happiness. It made her long for friends-even just one-that she could care about, and would care about her back, the way Kido and Yanagi cared for eachother.  
  
Her thoughts shifted to his funeral, as they often did when she thought about her brother. She remembered how she'd felt as she peered into her brother's casket. At his pale, beaten face. At his cut-open wrist. It looked as though it had been almost completely severed off his body. She remembered how, even though the funeral was small, everyone had nice things to say about her brother. Everyone except their father. He didn't even seem to care. "I still have you, Aya-Chan...My beautiful little doll". "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!", Aya screamed, and ran away from him. Ran away from the torture...the pain...everything...She could hear Yanagi calling her name, but nothing mattered... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Aya-Chan!". She looked up and saw Kurama standing over her. Quickly, she jumped up. "H-how embarassing", she stammered, shakily wiping her tears away. Kurama caught one of her small, white hands in his own. "Let them flow, Aya-Chan. Let the tears flow. That's the only way you're gonna heal is by crying and getting everything out". Kurama looked at her trembling frame, at what a mess she was. He knew she needed it, though. Deep-rooted pain and hatred such as hers needed the time to heal. Aya cried for a few minutes longer, until all her tears were used up. "K-Kurama-San? D-do you think maybe we could go out for tea or something? I want to tell you...". Kurama held up his hand to stop her. "If that's what you wish, Aya-Chan. There's a coffee shop not too far from here. Is that OK?". She nodded in agreement.  
  
Half an hour later, Aya and Kurama were sitting in the coffee shop with a cup of coffee and a slice of fruit pie apiece. Kurama watched her dump about thirty spoons of sugar into her coffee and half the container of creamer, but didn't say anything. He was waiting for her to spill to him what she wanted to tell him. Finally, in a voice just barely above a whisper, she told him about her father. About what he used to do to her. About her older half brother, and how he used to try to protect her. How her father used to beat on him. For an hour and a half, she talked.And for that hour and a half, Kurama listened in stunned silence.  
  
"...So I ran away from him. My mother found me a while later, but all she did was take me home and told me I didn't have to visit my father if I didn't want to for a little while. Than life went back to "normal", except that Yanagisawa came by frequently to be sure I was OK. It's thanks to him and my mother that I'm still alive, they gave me reason to live. And then I met your brother, and Mitari, and you...And well...I'm just glad I didn't commit suicide". Kurama looked at his watch. "We'd better hurry up and finish here, we need to be back home soon." Quickly they finished their coffee and pie, and Kurama went to pay the bill. "There's no need for you to do that. I have money", Aya said, fishing into the pocket of her jacket. "I want to, though", Kurama said firmly.  
  
They walked home in silence after that, Kurama chancing glimpses at her to see if she was truely "fine" as she said she was upon leaving the coffee shop. She wasn't crying anymore, but her pale eyes were fixed ahead of her, as though she were deep in contemplation. He wanted to inturupt her thoughts, to find out what she was thinking, but knew it would be best to keep his mouth shut. When they arrived back at his house, Kurama held the door open for her. "Sorry our first date together had to be like this", he whispered to her as she walked past him into the house. She stopped short, a sparkle in her eyes that he'd never seen before. "K-Kurama-San...do you mean...". Kurama smiled and nodded. "I love you, Aya-Chan, and I will never let anything happen to you.". Then he dropped his voice to a whisper and added "We have to be careful about this, though. I think it's pretty odd that those youkai attacked almost two months ago, and still haven't launched a second attack. They're plotting something...keep your guard up". She nodded and hugged him. "I will, Kurama-San. I will keep my eyes peeled at all times for anything unusual". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Well, how was it? I hope this didn't totally stink.=P I have some news for all of you. The DarkAngel's fiction days are through. All of her fiction is gonna be moved to my name where they will be completed.(Heart) I'm so excited! (Heart) So if any of you are Sensui Saga fans (WEE!!! GO SENSUI! GO ITSUKI! *Holds up a flag that says "I Love Sensui and Itsuki"*), you can look for her fiction titled "Tears of the World" (Probably under a new title name) re-vised and re-written under my name. This will be yaoi, so you have been forwarned. 


	13. An Invitation to Fight

A/N: No, I haven't died. :P Sorry I took forever to write this, I've been insanely busy. *Kisses her computer* I was afraid I wouldn't be able to update this until school let out! LOL. As it is, school's gonna be out in two weeks. This is probably the last update until school gets out, but I WILL finish this! *Dramatic look* LOL. Ok, I've got 14, 15, 16, and the ending planned out, but had little clue on how to get up to that point, so this chapter is really gonna be bad. Also, as I went back and re-read what I wrote, I couldn't help but notice I have some characters I'm not using. You can consider them killed off. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and E-mailed me up to this point. I love you all, it is for you that I continue! *Tosses candy* Oh, and Chibi Rinku, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my brother put up a Yaoi warning in my summery as a joke. ^^;;; Wild Wind is not a yaoi fic, however I am working with a friend of mine on a SensuiXItsuki yaoi fic, so if you want to keep your eyes open for that...*Sad face* I'm sorry... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"This is getting ridiculous", Sai thought as she sat in Advanced placement Trigonometry, half-pretending to pay attention to the teacher. "It's been forever and a day, what are they planning? They've closed up the Black Magic Portal, according to Yanagisawa, and still there's been no sign from them." She was no fool, even if she was horribly failing her Ningen classes. She knew that Yomi's followers were probably planning something very awful. She looked around the classroom, at Shuu, Mitari, and Aya. Shuu was yet again fast asleep at his desk, yet he somehow was excelling-third in the class, 94% A. Mitari, who was determined not to be left behind again due to circumstance, was working his tail off, hanging on to the teacher's every word. He was two points away from having an A himself, and Sai was sure he would obtain it. Aya was talking with a girl whom Sai'd never really payed attention to. Sai rested her hands on her elbows and sighed. This was getting ridiculous-oh, wait, she'd allready said that. She looked back at the clock again, and her gaze once more fell on Aya.  
  
The girl didn't seem to be anything more than a human, granted a very pretty, sweet, innocent human, but a human none the less, but Sai suddenly found she wasn't so sure. There was this very strong life energy that Aya gave off-life energy very unlike a human's. Then it happened-A sharp, shooting pain filled Sai's temple, and she felt as though she was back in the Makai wilderness. A cold, pale blue moon shone on a head full of long, dark, shadowy hair. The hair belonged to a stunningly beautiful young woman clad in pure white robes. A long, fluffy tail poked out from underneath the robes, and she had small dog ears sticking out of her hair.  
  
The dog-woman's head was bowed, and tears were spilling out of her incredible orange eyes. She walked over to another, older-looking woman, equally beautiful, who appeared to be mortally wounded. The younger woman knelt down, with what looked like some sort of cross in her hand, and muttered some words of prayer. She finished, straightened up, and whispered "I will honor your wishes, Mother"..."SAI!!!". Sai snapped out of her daze to see Shuuichi standing over her. "Come on, the bell rang". Shuu raced after Mitari and Aya, leaving her to herself. Sai shoved her books back into her bag and slouched off. "Could Aya be an Inuko?", she wondered. She left the classroom feeling deeply and thoroughly confused. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I can't take this anymore! This is boring! We need some adventure!", Jin cried, with a look on his face that made it known he had the worst case of cabin fever in the world. "Shh!", Touya hissed, motioning around the living room. Suzuki was sprawled out on the couch, fresh bandages and a wet washcloth gracing his face, Shishiwakamaru was sleeping on a chair not too far away from the couch-Shishi looked messed up, too- and Chuu was passed out at the table, several liquor bottles around him. The people left in the living room still conscious were Jin and Touya, Rinku, who was playing with some silly putty and watching cartoons, and Sai, who was glareing at her Trigonometry work as though it had mortally offeneded her.  
  
"We need to go somewhere or do something!", Jin was bit quieter this time. "Shh!", Touya rasped. "If you both don't shut up, I'm gonna staple your heads together with a nail gun", Sai threatened, looking very stressed out. Jin immediately backed off and started playing with Rinku and his silly putty, but Touya was not to be easily brushed off. "What's wrong?", he whispered gently, sitting right down on the book so she couldn't say"nothing" and go back to work.Sai looked at him. "Tell me about the Inuko", she said. It was not a request, but more of a demand. Touya looked at her quizically, but decided it best not to question her. Instead, he drew a deep breath and began.  
  
"The Inuko are a rare race of Inu Youkai. They are all women, because they reproduce asexually, and are all very beautiful. They travel in pairs because their powers are at their absolute best when they work with another person...." Touya stopped talking and looked at her. "Why are you asking me about them?". "Well...I kinda am suspicious about this girl at school...I think she may be an Inuko...". Sai replied, her thoughts flickering to Aya. They stopped talking as Istas walked in, carrying bandages. "Move away from the couch", she said plesently. "I've got to prevent the narcisisist's face from swelling". Touya and Sai stiffled giggles as they moved away. "He's gonna be damaged, allright, if he keeps getting the crap beat out of him", Sai said. "It's a pity, too, he really is handsome.", Istas replied, moving over to change the bandages on Suzuki's face. "Come on, let's go somewhere else to talk", Touya whispered softly, taking Sai out of the house.  
  
Touya took Sai to the beach, the same spot as their first date. The weather now was much too cold for anyone but an ice demon to go swimming, granted swimming was possible. The shoreline of the ocean was covered with a thin layer of gleaming ice-the ice vaugly resembled diamonds. The moon rays bounced off the ice, bathing the beach with silvery-white light. Sai felt as though she was living in some fantasy world where she was a beautiful princess and Touya was her handsome prince in shining armor coming to sweep her away. She didn't want the illusion to end. "Why'd you bring me out here, Touya?", she asked softly. "I thought we were done with the Inuko conversation". "Oh, we are...I just wanted to get you away from the others for a little while", he replied, just as softly. His glassy eyes looked suddenly silver in the dark, and shone with something Sai'd never seen in them before. Touya's arms slipped around her shoulders and he kissed her deeply and passionately. "I just wanted to let you know I love you". She kissed him back. "I love you, too". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
They returned a little after 11:00, but it didn't matter because it was Friday night.Youkai didn't need much sleep anyway. Instead of finding everyone asleep, they they expected, they discovered everyone seated around the living room table, deep in discussion. "They've finally cornored us", Chuu told them softly as they entered the house. Yusuke and Keiko were there, Keiko holding Raizen firmly to her, and so were Kuwabarra, Yukina, and Kuribayashi. Chuu wrapped his arms around Natsume's shoulders as little Rinku came up and solumly handed Touya a note. The sadness on his face broke Sai's heart. Touya read the letter quietly, and then passed it along to Sai. It read:  
  
"Dear Urameshi Cowards:  
You have hidden from us long enough. We demand you come out and fight us, tournament style. Two nights from now, there will be a portal opened for you to get to the Makai. From there you will come to Yomi's kingdom. If you refuse, we will kill you outright."  
  
There was no signature indicating who it could have come from at all. "We have no choice", Yusuke whispered softly. "We have two days...I expect everyone who is going to participate to be here Sunday afternoon no later than 1:00. Kurama, get Aya and make sure Mitari and Shuu don't try to follow us. Hiei, see if you can get us some troops from Mukuro-Sama. I'll contact Enki and let him know what is going on once we get back to the Makai...". He sighed. "It's only a shame they don't realize this is not what Yomi would want", Kurama murmured sadly. "Not what he would've wanted at all". He left those words hanging over their heads as he stood up and left.  
  
A/N: WAHOO!!!! I am DONE with chapter 13! I know it sucks, but 14 is really good! :D Due to time allowances, this is gonna be a few chapters shorter than I thought it would be, but the ending to this is gonna blow you away. So please bear with me. Again, thank you everyone who reveiwed and E-mailed me. Keep them coming. ^_^ 


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